


A long day in Gotham

by Lory221B



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Comedy, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Season/Series 04, Pre-Slash, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-05-24 11:10:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14953556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lory221B/pseuds/Lory221B
Summary: No day is an ordinary day in Gotham. Someone delivers messages and unpleasant gifts, Lee Thompkins is in danger and an unlikely trio of heroes will try to save her.





	1. Prologue

It was the third time he had woken up that night; he had this funny feeling, as if something very wrong had happened to which he ought to remedy soon.

 

Jim Gordon was not the kind of man to wake up with anxiety, yet his demons tormented him and didn't let him sleep, the faces of people he had killed and those of whom he had not saved. That night, however, it was emptiness to keep him company. He had long understood that the only way to go through life without remorse was to be alone, without someone close who could be hurt or whose life could be destroyed.

 

The day everything had changed in his life seemed so far away, when he had collided for the first time with Gotham's rules, and since then pieces of his wounded soul had time and time again recomposed thanks to the few dear ones who had remained close to him.

 

He turned to the watch, it was five o'clock in the morning and soon he would have to get up and go to the police station. With the dazed head typical of having slept little and poorly, he went to the kitchen to make the first coffee of the day.

 

Gotham was extremely silent at that time of the morning; outside the window there was the peculiar air of the city that would soon wake up, though that was not the right way to see it, perhaps. Gotham was the city that never slept, where night fell and the troubles began.

 

He was still in the kitchen, a cup of hot coffee in his hand, when the first message of what would have been a long, long day, got on the phone. He took the mobile in his hand and words from an unknown number drove him immediately into a nightmare.

 

" _Go to the door, there's a surprise waiting for you_."

 

As soon as he read the message, he heard the doorbell ring.

 

Gordon was not a guy who easily scared, on the contrary, he had several times acted recklessly insisting on doing everything himself, and this time was no exception. He picked up the gun and cautiously opened the door slowly. There was no one waiting for him, but there was a pink package closed with a silver ribbon, leaning on the worn carpet. He went out into the street to check if the mysterious courier was still nearby, but it seemed there was not a living soul around his house.

 

He leaned toward the packet, undecided whether to open it or call for the forensics department to examine it, but the sound of a new incoming message made him desist to warn someone.

 

" _Call your colleagues and Lee dies_."

 

He turned around, looking for the place they were watching him, but it was impossible to tell if someone was lurking in the gray buildings around his house.

 

" _Take the package and open it_."

 

He bent down again and picked up the unwanted gift and then returned to the house, closing the door and the mysterious stalker behind him. He put the pack on the table and, hoping not to blow up, he pulled the silver ribbon and lifted the lid. What he found inside made him boil with rage: it was a little finger cut off and still dripping blood and, knowing the reference to Lee, he feared it was just from his ex-girlfriend.

 

He waited to receive another message with a calm that did not belong to him, but he was not supplied. Ten endless minutes passed before something new happened, ten minutes in which he had repeatedly composed the number of Harvey and then rethought it. He could not take the risk, someone was playing with him in the worst way and must have studied his own moves so as to not leave anything to fate.

 

What interrupted the limbo in which he had been lingering, was again the sound of the door. This time the doorbell rang several times, implying a very impatient guest.

 

Jim took up the gun and angrily slammed open the door, but his surprise was soon replaced by the desire to bash a very specific head when he found himself in front of Edward Nygma.

 

He didn't give him time to open his mouth, since he wasn't in the mood of suffering a useless riddle, so he slammed him against the wall, furious, remembering the insane relationship that Nygma had intertwined with Lee and that probably was now leading him to do something horrible, just to take his revenge on him because Lee wasn’t returning his love.

 

« It's not like you think, Detective » Edward exhaled, trying to get his attacker off his back.

 

« And what do I think, Ed? » Added Jim, tossing further with no intention of letting him go.

 

« I get you too received anonymous text messages about Lee »

 

« What do you mean by " you too" ? » Jim answered, releasing slightly the grip on Edward, so much that Nygma was able to extract slowly his mobile phone from his pocket.

 

« Someone wrote me that they have kidnapped Lee and that you have proof of it »

 

Jim first stared at Edward's mobile and then looked back to the package he had just received.He let go of Nygma, who headed to the strange gift that lay on the table in the living room of Gordon's house, without saying a word.

 

When he saw its contents, his expression usually cold and imperturbable revealed the horror and anger for a moment.

 

« It seems to be Lee's » He said only.

 

 « I know » the detective sighed « How do I know you have nothing to do with all this? »

 

« Because I still love her, Jim » he replied, standing the detective's glance.

 

An empty laugh came from Gordon's mouth and he shook his head. « Let's pretend I believe you. Do you have any lead? I have not seen Lee for months and I have no idea why someone could kidnap her for revenge on both »

 

Edward seemed to consider carefully this last comment, in fact, it seemed strange to him that someone had thought of involving them.

 

« Have you already called your colleagues? »

 

"No, they wrote not to do it and I intend to follow the order, for now »

 

Edward seemed honest, even if the last thing Jim Gordon was going to do was trust that madman who had stuck him under a press for jealousy.

 

The more time he passed concentrated on why that day had begun so badly, the more time he avoided thinking that the woman who had never stopped loving had been kidnapped and again it was his fault.He felt his hands prick, that typical feeling of how the hunt began and the blood began to throb in his veins.

 

« I won't stay here waiting for their next move, I'm going out and find some answers » he said to Nygma, who had started to inspect the package with the severed finger inside, unfortunately detecting any clues.

 

« Where are you going? »

 

« They do not want police intervention, but they didn't say anything about Gotham's criminals »

 

« Are you thinking of Oswald? »He asked, astonished.

 

« I don't think it's a predictable move for me, everyone knows how much I hate to ask for favors and if someone is playing guard and thieves with me, maybe Penguin has some useful information »

 

« Ok, then let's go to Oswald together! I really want to see his face when he’ll see us coming »

 


	2. The King of Gotham

Gotham was beginning to come to life: the messenger with the first delivery, the noise of the shutters of shops and bars and that usual routine of a city always running.

Gordon and Nygma had decided to cooperate, there seemed to be no other way to save Lee and find out who was threatening them, but precisely because they didn’t know what to expect, they could not rely only on their strength, not when the life of someone close was in danger.

They got into Jim's old car, headed to the Penguin’s manor, with the hope that the King of Gotham knew what was happening or at least could help them, even if this second option involved a series of consequences that Gordon did not want to face, as owned him a favor.

They parked along the avenue in front of the manor, but before leaving the vehicle, Jim got the phone out of his pocket and looked for a phone number that he had not dialed for a long time, a private clinic outside Gotham.

« Who are you calling? They said no cops or they'll kill Lee » Nygma asked, watching Gordon's movements cautiously.

« No cops, just a plan B in the event that Oswald didn’t want to help us spontaneously  » he replied, waiting for someone to answer the call.

« Detective Gordon, you amaze me. You come to the dark side »

« Only when it needs »

« When Oswald understands it, he will not be happy »  
  
Jim shrugged, he wasn’t worried about the mood Cobblepot would have at the end of the story, he only cared about getting his rosebud soon as possible.

« On the other hand » Edward added « You're the only one who's allowed to betray and manipulate him, without ever paying the consequences, so you don’t have to worry. I wonder why, actually »

« I saved his life, I should have shot him and I did not. I think it's gratitude »

« After all this time? After Arkham, Strange and after almost giving to me to kill him? » He asked, looking almost annoyed, but the question remained pending because finally someone from the Clinic answered Captain Gordon's call.

***** * *****

Oswald Cobblepot sat bored at the living room table with a glass of brandy in his hand, already at 9 am, waiting to receive news from his subordinates about a cargo in transit at the port of Gotham. He had half a mind to make a trip out of town to spend some time with Martin but the sadness that took him every time he left the kid to return to the manor, so empty and cold, made him retrace his steps.

Actually it was a contradiction, he didn’t want to spend time with Martin because afterwards he would feel alone, but at the same time, not seeing him, made him feel even more alone. After all, regaining power was not exactly what he believed: he always was looking for something he couldn't find, he was constantly worried about losing authority, he had become even more paranoid and spent his time sadly in solitude, convinced he could no longer trust anyone.

He looked up at the window when the sound of an engine coming from the driveway, attracted his attention. He laughed in amazement when he saw the unmistakable shape of Captain Gordon's car; he also saw a passenger on board, perhaps Bullock, but from that distance he could not quite guess who he was.

If the police captain had been there because of the load that Penguin was waiting for, he would have arrived with other agents, so Oswald agreed that it must be for information or a classic back-and-forth " _I know what you're doing but I cannot prove it_ " . In spite of everything, Oswald was happy to see him but when the passenger door opened, revealing who Gordon was in company, It knocked him for a loop.

One of the many minions who was wandering around the manor in defense of the King of Gotham, ran into the living room to announce the arrival of the unlikely guests « Boss, out there are ...»

« I saw them and now leave! »

Oswald welcomed them on his feet, unsure of what to expect from the strange duo that had decided to interrupt his apparent calm that morning.

« Ok, I will not pretend not to be amazed to see you coming together » he said, passing his eyes from Jim to Ed, trying to maintain a certain confidence, even if he hated surprises and that was definitely a surprise.

Nygma made to explain the whole story but Gordon anticipated it, without beat around the bush «We need your help, Oswald. Someone kidnapped Lee Thompkins, texted us and delivered me her finger. We have no clues and we cannot call the GCPD, it must have moles inside the department »

Cobblepot did not hold back a series of expressions between the astonished, the annoyed and a mixture of anger and frustration in feeling that they were there exclusively to find the woman who had had a relationship with both of them « Why do you expect me to know something? » He snapped.

« Because you're the king of Gotham » Gordon said, while Ed just rolled his eyes, beginning to believe they were just wasting time.

« Instead I know nothing and I really don’t care to. Have fun and bon voyage  » he said, pointing unmistakably at the door.

« You really don’t care if anyone escapes your control and threatens the police captain? »  Nygm said, knowing full well what points to leverage to get help from Oswald.

« Are you trying to manipulate me, Ed? you will have to do better »

Jim got in conversation, because unlike Nygma, he already had a plan to manipulate Penguin« Oswald, I'm just asking you to make some calls. Give us at least one starting point, we have no idea who may be angry with us to start a mortal game. Someone must have noticed Lee's disappearance. If she were still the Queen of Narrows it would be easier but I know that in recent times she only carried forward the work in the clinic »

A side of Oswald would have liked to help them, that side that had seen a friend in Jim Gordon and a soul mate in Ed Nygma, that side that constantly tried to bury under layers of ice to be no longer hurt or betrayed. That moment of hesitation allowed Gordon to have a certain optimism  to put Oswald in the direction he wanted.

« It must be someone vindictive but he or she has some power or wants to exercise it. Why involve me and Ed? Why not just kill us? This morning he could have shot me as soon as I looked out the door. There must be a plan behind it. We have come to you to have a simple starting point, we don’t ask for anything else »

« Jim, you already have a starting point. It seems clear to me that this is someone who wants to get even with you, Lee and Ed » he counted with his fingers and waving them in front of them to show how dummies they are « I don’t think the list is so long, people who hate all three and have connections with the police ...» he stopped, like a sudden epiphany. He remained silent while he was connecting some points in his head « You three, in fact it is weird. Nothing actually combines all three of you. They knew you'd come to me, they could have foreseen it » he said to himself, and if he had looked closely at Jim's expression, he would have noticed that a tiny smile of triumph had appeared on his face, soon replaced by his usual serious expression.

« I do not think so...» Ed said hesitantly, but he noticed that Gordon had slightly stiffened because his observation and decided to keep quiet.

« Sofia Falcone is always in the clinic, is not she? Supervised and in a coma! » Oswald asked, now more frantic.

« I believe so » Gordon said « Do you think this is connected to Sofia? »

« Sofia hates you, me and Lee for firing her. Maybe even Ed or maybe not, maybe he's just a pawn » he added, walking up and down and wondering if he was already too many moves back to stop what was happening « Let's call the clinic »

It was Edward's turn to smile without being seen, while poor Oswald learned from the clinic’s secretary outside Gotham, that one Jim had previously contacted, that Sofia Falcone was no longer there but had mysteriously disappeared a few weeks ago. It followed with the launch of the glass of brandy against the wall and then the whole bottle, some screams and then Cobblepot took the stick and walked straight to the front door.

« Are you going to come? » He screamed, when he was already outside, in the driveway.

« Brilliant Jim, you use Oswald's paranoia to get us to help. Student surpasses masters » winked « I guess Sofia is always in a coma »

« Obviously. The clinic's secretary played her part well »

***** * *****

Oswald sat down in the back seat of Gordon's car; he knew if Sofia had left the clinic for weeks and she had devised a plan, she had probably already corrupted some of the men around him, so he couldn’t trust anyone else that Jim and Ed. This was a point Jim did not think about enough, and indeed, when he had thought about talking to Penguin, he was sure he would have his army available to look for Lee. Instead, it was just the three of them. He almost began to feel guilty for having forced Oswald to follow them under false pretenses; after all, he was trusting them completely, when he did not even trust his men.

« Narrows never folded, but I still have informants. We'll start from there » Oswald said, as Gordon sat down, waiting to get to know the destination.

Ed gave a faint lament « I'm not really well liked in Narrows, maybe I'll wait for you in the car »

« Why, Ed? » Gordon asked as he turned on the car and prepared for that unlikely trip into the slums.

« Yes, Ed. Tell Jim about how you mortally stabbed the woman we're going to look for, making you dislike by all people of Narrows » said Oswald, with an annoying grin aimed at the mirror, so that Nygma could see him.

« What? Have you tried to kill Lee? » Jim asked, amazed.

« He stabbed me first, if you really want to be specific. And we both died »

Gordon gave a strange look first to Ed and then to Oswald, who raised both eyebrows and nodded sardonically. Jim was definitely starting to miss Bullock and for a moment he imagined the face he would made if he saw him in the car with the Riddler and Penguin.

The idea of going to talk to Oswald’s informants was still good. No one would talk to a cop and after the latest revelations even with Ed. However, what he said earlier was not entirely wrong. Whoever was threatening them was a vindictive and sociopathic person; it remained to understand why someone had decided to involve him and Nygma.

«Let me understand » said Oswald, interrupting Jim's thoughts. « Will I have to attend a vomiting thing like Dawson's Creek at the end, with Dr. Thompkins choosing between you?» He asked, looking disgusted.

Gordon snorted, he was not sure how things would end, but he knew perfectly well he would not be back with Lee, he'd hurt her too much for too long. Moreover, after the latest experiences, it was no longer sure that the woman he had known and loved many years before, still existed.

Even Edward wrinkled his nose, not happy at all to be in team with Lee's great love and at the same time unhappy to suffer the inevitable spirited barbs that his old friend would have given him, because they had not seen since Edward left him and Butch behind bars of the bank they were robbing.

« You're not in love with me yet, do you, Oswald? » Suddenly  Nygma said and Gordon almost went astray, hearing that strange revelation. « Wait, what? » He asked, regaining control of the vehicle.

« Nothing, whatever it was, it died when Ed shot me » Oswald replied, trying to appear neutral when he actually wanted to give Nygma a punch for pulling out such a talk in front of Gordon.

« I had to do it » Ed simply said, starting to stare at an undefined spot outside the window.

« Did you shoot him because he was in love with you? I keep wondering how Lee could even think of spending time with you » Jim said, earning a strange look from Oswald.

«He killed my girlfriend»

« If I had not, he would have done it, because that's what he does to his girlfriends » Cobblepot quickly replied, still with feigned tranquility, but at that point Edward had untied his belt and turned to Oswald to face him.

« You had no right, Oswald »

Gordon rolled his eyes, He didn’t think that he would have to manage two children instead of those who were supposed to be two super criminals. « Basically, he was jealous and killed your girlfriend? It’s weird but it reminds me of something you did a few months ago, that is putting me under a press » he said seraphic, hoping to get it over with.

Ed gasped for a moment before getting back, fastening his belt, and staring out the window again.

Oswald chuckled to himself, forgetting for a moment that he was in that weird situation because his kingdom was in danger « Oh, so I'm here to watch your back, Jim? Because when this thing is over, Edward will not shoot you on the dock? »

« You're particularly sour today, Oswald » Nygma said, and Jim actually begged to get to Narrows soon and fix the case, for Lee and to get rid of both.

 

 


	3. Narrows

Narrows always gave Gordon the same sad feeling. It was a poor, degraded, seemingly hopeless neighborhood, but he still had the belief that nothing and nobody was totally hopeless. He had learned this by banging his head several times against the rules of the city but, in the end, he had realized that surrendering was not an option and this was also true for those who lived in Narrows.  

Jim stopped the car in a spot not too visible, hoping not to attract attention, even if he knew the speed with which rumors spread in the neighborhood; confiding to find at least one clue, he went with Oswald to meet the informant. They left Ed in the car, because he was too worried about the bad reputation that had been attributed to him after having stabbed Lee, to go with them.

They walked in silence along a dark and dirty street, until they arrived at a watch shop. Gordon could not help but notice that Oswald was particularly silent: he was probably still thinking, unnecessarily, about the possible implications of Sofia.

« The guy works here » he said, opening the shop door and showing the way to his old friend.

Jim followed Oswald into the old shop. Dust, old wood, the smell of alcohol, there was nothing missing in that place to avoid thinking of Narrows.

An anonymous guy with gray hair and a slightly more manicured appearance than the average of the locals, peeked out from behind the counter.

« Mr. Cobbelpot, my regards»

« Hello, Walter » Oswald said, as the informant began to move a few boxes from a chair to accommodate the King of Gotham.

« We'll have to skip the pleasantries and get to the point » Oswald said, stopping Walter's attempts to make the space more welcoming to his guests « Lee Thompkins is disappeared, what can you tell me about this? »

The man, who until then had maintained a certain relaxation, now seemed slightly more troubled. He fiddled with the empty case of a pocket watch while Jim, who until then had stood aside, became much closer to the counter.

« Well, I did not see anything ...»  Walter only said.

« But? » They asked almost in unison. Oswald betrayed some impatience and much discomfort at having to wait for answers from a subordinate.

« But there was a van, it was not local, it was around Doc's surgery. I don’t know who it was  »

« It's not much » Gordon roared, taking him by the collar.

« I really don’t know anything else,  Doc was very detached in recent times. If something happened, it must have happened at night. You should ask someone from the fight club » he added, trying to get Gordon off his back.

« What use are you then, if you don’t give me information? »  Cobblepot said and he hit hard his hand on the counter.

Jim, alarmed by this gesture, immediately turned to Oswald, fearing he would have to stop the impending murder of the informant, caused by his uselessness, but the ringing of the umpteenth message, distracted both from the wasted trip they had just completed.

" _Toc_ _toc_ _, did you miss my messages?_ _I know you are in Narrows._ _Penguin is with you, but where is the Riddler?_ "

Jim turned the screen to Oswald who snorted dissatisfied « But what has it happened to the normal criminals? I don’t understand the meaning of all this playing cat and mouse »

« Another text message: " _If I see only one of_ _Cobblepot's_ _minions_ _, Lee is dead_ "»

The informant gathered more excuses and suggested again to ask the club for information, but neither of them was listening to him anymore. Jim was angry because, although he had believed himself very clever to turn to Oswald, the maniac who was playing with him had anticipated his moves; Oswald instead began to feel something out of order in the argument that had led him to suspect Sofia, as if he had been manipulated in some way. During the car trip neither Jim nor Ed had concentrated a single theory about Sofia and she was not the kind of person to act in this way. If she had wanted them dead or submissive, she would have acted differently, more subtly.

Jim rushed out of the store, still hoping to see who was keeping him under control, but whoever he was, he really knew how to hide well.

He hurried to go back to the car, nervous, because Oswald was right, the game was annoying, he was not going anywhere, and they were still many footsteps back to the criminal mind who had kidnapped Lee.

« It has nothing to do with Sofia, is it?  » Oswald said ruefully, behind Gordon. Jim turned around in time to see him shake his head with an expression that rather than displeased seemed disappointed. And he was, because he had done foolishly manipulated in such a clear manner that only because of the part that care about Ed and Jim, he had fall in their tricks.

« Listen, Oswald ...» Jim started a speech but was immediately stopped.

« I don’t believe it!  You did it just to help you. Maybe I had better things to do than accompany you in search of dear Lee » he added grumpily, to make it seem that the problem was related solely to the fact that he was wasting time, not that he had tried many times to be his friend and then, every time, he was treated as a resource in times of crisis.

« Listen, if you don’t have information and you cannot make your men available, you can go back to your manor to rule crime » said Gordon, who really didn’t have time to face an outburst of Cobblepot .

« Is it so hard to say: “Oswald, I need your help!”? » He snapped, now his voice had risen by a few octaves.

Jim did not answer and he went on to the alley where he had parked the car, while Oswald, who kept walking noisily behind him, was listing all the times he had helped him to finding himself betrayed or put to one side.

« Where's Ed? » Gordon said of a sudden, now he had almost reached the car and it was evident that there was no passenger on board.

They hastened both to find that Nygma was no longer sitting on his seat. They looked around, hoping it had just come down but apart from the usual chaos of the neighborhood, there was no sign of Ed and his unmistakable green suit.

« The car was not broked into, someone must have forced him out » Oswald remarked, leaning on the vehicle and pondering what to do « I'm going to look for Ed, you go around asking others if they know something about the van »

Jim, for a moment, took a closer look at Oswald's green eyes, in odd way. In spite of all he could think and all that had happened, Oswald had been, among all, the only criminal who had proved to have, at least, one side did care about people: his mother, that child of whom he had been unjustly accused of murder and eventually even in love with Edward.

« What's up? »   Oswald asked, tilting his head, a bit puzzled by the expression Jim was peering at him.

« Nothing, it's just strange, or rather unexpected, this thing about you and Ed »

« There is no " me and Ed "» he replied with a grimace.

« If I'd known before, we could try to split them up » Gordon tried to joke to break, in vain, the tension that had arisen between them since the story of Sofia had emerged, or rather the lack of participation of Sofia.

« Split them up? Yeah, apparently everyone prefers Lee Thompkins to me »

« Everyone?  » Gordon asked impulsively, without thinking about what that meant "all "and for a moment he saw Oswald gasping, as he did in every rare occasions that he had no ready answer. « Anyway, can we trust Ed? »  Promptly Jim added, trying again to break the tension by changing the subject.

« What do you mean? »

« It's just that… it’s about Lee, it’s theatrical... I get a text message just when Ed is not with us» he scratched his head looking for answers. Coincidences were beginning to be too many and, paradoxically, it was in the absurd situation of being able to trust only Penguin.

« Why did you let yourself be persuaded to come to me?  » He asked Oswald suddenly, staring straight ahead, rather than watching Jim in the eyes, after the previous, awkward, outcome he had.

« It was my idea, not Ed's » Gordon said, and for a moment Oswald slipped a small smile. He was about to say something when the umpteenth message interrupted their newfound quiet.

« _What a disappointment,_ _Jim._ _No clue?_ _Try going to number_ _42_ _, maybe you'll find something_ »

Both looked around cautiously, but there was nothing to suggest they were under fire.

« How did they know we were coming to Narrows? » Oswald asked. He had less and less desire to stay to help find Lee but he could not go his way, without at least finding Ed and finding out who was behind those events.

« Apparently coming to Narrows was an obvious move. Or they are following us somehow and therefore they set up their plan gradually »  Gordon replied, holding up his phone again, ready to call Bullock but at the same time, he was sure that if they were following him it was not a very smart move.

Oswald, meanwhile, was not convinced there was a criminal mastermind behind the kidnapping of Lee;  he crouched under Jim's car, shaking his head once more and tearing from underneath the vehicle, something that he put to shake in front of Gordon face «Maybe a very trivial transmitter under the car? »

Jim bit his lip, feeling stupid enough not to have checked right away.

« Lee just makes you unreasonable » Oswald said only, before heading for another vehicle and attacking under the transmitter. Gordon was uncertain whether to block it, that gesture could have an impact on Lee's health if someone, indeed, was watching them.

« No message to complain about what I just did? Maybe they do not spy on you all the time, maybe they are already at this mysterious number 42, ready to crack you down »

Jim was thinking exactly the same thing, but to that point he could not do anything else than to keep on following the directives of the mysterious kidnapper.

« I go to Number 42, you look for Ed»

« Are you sure? It looks like a trap » Oswald answered, with the typical expression of when he thought he was talking to an idiot.

« I don’t see what else I can do. Be careful, I don’t think you're well liked around here » he added only, before running towards the building where someone or something was waiting for him.

Oswald didn’t know whether to admire his dedication or consider him a hopeless fool. But on the other hand, Jim Gordon was a hero and what the heroes did in Gotham was risking their skin all the time, without thinking about the consequences.

Puffing, he wondered what the most obvious place to look for Ed was or who to ask without risking being captured, when he picked up a rather useful conversation to decide the next steps.

« Did you hear? Nygma is back » a little boy said « He's at the fight club »

***** * ******

Narrows fight club had returned to be exactly as it was once,  always disastrous and nerve center of betting and every other deplorable habit. From what was said around, someone who remembered the time when Ed had been to Narrows but had not forgiven what he had done to Doc, had decided to drag him out of the car under the threat of a gun.

Nygma had not been able to do anything else other than to follow them, in the secret hope that someone would be on his side, because, after all, he had helped to revive the neighborhood, but at that moment he was in the middle of the ring, insulted by all those that had come and hit by several objects that were launched by the public.

Oswald, who had entered the room and was trying hard to camouflage himself in the crowd, covering himself with rags he had found on the ground, could not restrain a disgusted expression. He could not understand how Ed could have spent so much time there in Narrows, not counting the crazy little theater he had set up before to mock him.

He had created Edward Nygma, the brilliant criminal mind and that idiot had set aside everything for a woman. And now he was there, in the middle of the ring, target of vegetables.

« Ok, let's talk » Nygma shouted suddenly and for a moment the crowd quieted. He looked around when he saw Oswald in the middle of the crowd; they exchanged an eloquent glance, of those that meant that they were once again in a thorny situation but that soon they would come out, somehow, together.

« I can be donated but never bought. Sinners seek me, but not the saints. Who am I? » He asked with theatricality to the crowd, but particularly to Oswald.

The friend got a laugh, he expected that he would use a riddle to try to get out of the mess but not that he would have asked "forgiveness" in that way.

A corpulent man, with the smell of someone who had not washed for weeks, get in the ring, and he made to withdraw Ed of some footstep.

« It's not time for your riddles, Nygma. Everything went wrong here in Narrows after you killed Lee »

«  She has me too ... well, can you not turn a blind eye to old times? After all, Strange has resuscitated her, she is alive » he tried, while he was following Oswald's movements from the corner of his eye.

« Sure, we'll solve it as we solve things here: with a fight, like old times » the man suggested maliciously.

The man was already dragging Edward's collar when the sound of a gunshot, followed by a splash of blood, screams and the fall of the lifeless body of the man, put an abrupt end to that encounter.

« I would say we can put an end to this mess » Oswald shouted as he get in the ring with a smoking gun in his hand, under the stupefied gaze of Ed, expecting a slightly more elaborate plan than shooting at a man's back. « Yes, I’m Oswald Cobblepot, that real, not who you amiably mocked just a year ago » he continued to the crowd, now silent, unaccustomed that the Boss of the city went to Narrows, got into the ring and shot someone « In any case, if you don’t want a break in of the my men, which will make this place, well, just more unpleasant than it already is, you will leave Edward Nygma to me » he added.

« Oswald, do you know that you haven’t authority here? » Edward whispered, approaching to Cobblepot.

« Fear usually works. And anyway, I forgive you » he replied, pulling Edward a smile « I can be given but never bought. Sinners seek me, but not the saints. It is forgiveness »

They were still waiting for the crowd to disperse or at least withdraw to let them pass, as a sign of respect, when an old lady pushed her way through the other inhabitants of Narrows and waving her cane turned without fear to the King of Gotham.

« There are not your men here, Penguin. You came by car with Gordon. Do you think we do not notice what happens to Narrows? »

Both Ed and Oswald emitted a faint, exasperated lament   « Plan B? » Oswald said, getting a gun to Edward.

 

 


	4. "I owed you that"

Going out of a place firing wildly wasn’t new, neither for Oswald nor for Ed. Despite the numerical superiority of the inhabitants of Narrows rushed to the fight club compared to the two intruders, after the first shots most of the crowd began to disperse, fearing possible future reprisals by the men of Penguin or simply fearing to be the victims of a stray bullet.

Edward and Oswald ran straight to the car and they didn’t wait a second to run away.

Ed tried to catch his breath, leaning on the head on the headrest of the passenger seat, while Oswald tried to orient himself in the neighborhood in search of the civic number 42 where Jim Gordon was imprudently directed.

« What happened while I was waiting for you ? Where's Jim ?  » Ed asked. The rush of adrenaline still pulsated strong throbbing veins.

« Another text messages, more race. He went to get himself killed at number 42, while I was saving you »

« Thanks, by the way»

« I’m glad to be useful. I love risking my life after being manipulated to follow you » he commented, throwing a sideways glance at his friend. It was really frustrating for Oswald to be mocked like that, especially by those who had once called friends and who by now he no longer knew how to define. Perhaps, pale reminiscence of feelings that he wanted to bury, was an appropriate way of describing them.

« Ah, Jim told you about Sofia ... » Ed said without remorse, which made Cobblepot more nervous « no, you understood that by yourself. You're smart enough »

« Oh, thank you Ed for the mark of esteem»

« For the record, it was not my idea. Involving yourself, lying to you ... » he added, now feeling a little embarrassed. Until that moment, he had not thought enough about what it meant for Oswald to help them, too busy looking for Lee and keeping an eye on Gordon. They had rather cumbersome journeys, and although they had partly dispelled their disagreements while trying to eliminate Sophia, they were still stuck in limbo, eternally on Gotham's wharf, trying not to kill each other.

Oswald twisted his mouth but he preferred to remain silent. He had sworn to himself that he would no longer deal with issues that affected the emotional and sentimental sphere. He was not sure what he had felt or what he was feeling for Ed. The damn emotions were always too strong and too deceitful; he would have preferred by far not to feel anything. But perhaps, at that point, he would no longer really feel alive.

Edward was about to continue this conversation, not quite sure how to go on, when Oswald snapped out of nowhere, as his custom when he lost patience.

« It's crazy you persevere with Lee! You would be the true Riddler without her, not this pale copy » He almost screamed, unexpectedly stopped the car and Ed  thanked he had fastened his belt. « She manipulated you, she used you, she even stabbed you, but here you are, like a good dog"

« Ah! Look who’s talking, do you not behave the same way with Gordon? » He answered coldly, concealing the anger that was mounting inside him, because he knew that Oswald was right, Lee had probably never loved him and she will not change her mind when they would save her.

« Beg me pardon? What does Gordon have to do with it? » Oswald pronounced the Captain's surname almost in disgust.

« Oh please, Oswald. You only deceive yourself. How many times have you allowed him to pass it smooth? And for what? Because he became your friend? You care so much, but he had no scruples when locked you in Arkham, left you there, and put Sofia against you. You continue to forgive him, to let it go, to hope that one day he could see something different from you than a gangster. I was put under ice for having shot you, while I am not aware that Jim has had consequences for trying to hand you over to me, condemning you to certain death »

A silence as a tomb followed, the two stared coldly without looking away until Oswald broke the silence « Are you jealous, Ed? » He answered angrily, clearly marking his friend's name. He did not know why he was getting nervous like that, but he hadn’t intention to be seen as a ingenuous with a crush on Jim Gordon. Had he always considered Jim like a friend? Yes. Had Jim always come to him for a " favor for a favor" and nothing else? Yes. Had this hurted him, annoyed him and disappointed him? Yes again, but that didn’t mean he was feeling anything for the perfect Jim Gordon.

« Admit it, Oswald! I don’t know if you were really in love with me but surely you have a crush on him » Edward added, stepping out of the car, anticipating Oswald's outburst, who merely channeled all his annoyance in violently slamming the door of the car.

He had parked, such as it was, in the middle of a blind alley, right at the back of street number 42. It looked like an abandoned mansion, perhaps a crack house, not exactly the place to go alone in search of a madman.

«  You know, it would do well for you too. If Lee is with me, you would have your way with Jim » Ed said.

« Oh, funny. Jim told me the same thing. Put you of accord and not vexed you for me, I am happy to be changing from him to you to make you have Lee » replied with a smirk  « In any case, only a psychopath would choose you instead of Gordon. Maybe you should try it with Barbara »

Edward gave an empty laugh « And you say you do not have a thing for Jim »

Oswald rolled his eyes and walked around the car to face Ed and scream in his face what he thought about him, Jim Gordon, Lee and all the people who cluster about them, but before he could start his invectives, Edward covered his mouth with his hand.

« Sssh, I heard something » they both turned to the source of the noise, a sort of footstep, when two darts struck their necks and both fell down unconscious on the ground.

**** * ****

Oswald reopened his eyes with difficulty, his head hurted and he wanted to wipe his hair to check if that sense of wet was just water, maybe he had fallen into a puddle, or it was viscous blood, but when he finally resumed conscience completely, he realized that he was sitting and tied up.

Finally he managed to focus on the situation: Jim, Ed, number 42, a narcotizing dart, a fall to the ground, banging his head somewhere, so strong that he must have been unconscious for a long time. He looked up to see Gordon right in front of him, he was also  bound and kept under fire by two men dressed in very picturesque way: one had rabbit ears, the other a hare ears. They were in a huge room, maybe a warehouse. The light just penetrated from two large windows, probably there was another building in front that projected its shadow to the place where they were tied.

He felt a moan beside him and only then he noticed that Ed was also sitting and tied up but he didn’t seem to have suffered any bruises. In practice they were alone and were fallen into a trap.

« Well, now we're all awake » Gordon said roughly.

« Oh sorry if we're here to rescue you, Jim » Oswald said struggling; Edward, who must have regained consciousness long before him and still did not feel dizzy like Oswald, burst out  laughing, supporting his friend.

« Great job » Gordon said,  before everyone's attention was attracted to the man dressed as a rabbit. The guy took what appeared to be a remote control from his pocket and pointed it in the direction of a screen that Oswald had not yet noticed, but it was set right halfway between them and Gordon, placed perpendicular so that all three could see it.

The sudden light of the screen in the half-light of the room, hurt for a moment the eyes of the three kidnapped, who looked away.

« Hello, old friends » a well-known voice chanted, and Jervis Tetch appeared on the screen, with his unmistakable cylinder and his crazy gaze.

« Couldn’t be better! » Nygma said, sarcastic. Tetch  smiled and moved from the front of the camera to show behind him, sitting and also tied up, Lee Thompkins, alive and well.

Jim thought he should have imagined there could be a madman like Jervis Tetch back to that game so complicated, but for all the "Mad Hatter" had disappeared and Jim trusted he had left Gotham forever. Instead, once again, he wanted revenge on his sister's death and again he had put Lee in the middle.

Jim tried to free, pushing the ropes but the man with bunny ears, probably hypnotized, hit him in the leg with a stick. Jim let out a verse of pain mixed with frustration.

« Lee, say "hello” to your friends! » Jarvis continued, doing "hi" with his hand, ignoring the looks of hatred that everyone was addressing him. « Waiting to meet some of you live, I would like to entertain myself with a nice little game. Gordon has already participated with successful but I do not think he is grateful. Choose who to save, Jim. Otherwise both die and you will have to watch! »

Ed and Oswald exchanged a quick glance, unsuccessfully trying to free themselves from the ropes. The men of Jarvis had bound them really tight and with no possibility of moving. Not only that, even the chairs were nailed to the floor and in any case they would not be able to move from where they were.

« Above the heads of your friends or foe, I do not know how to define them, there are two bins of acid. You can save only one, Jim. To show you that I'm not cheating, it will not depend on anyone else but you. I will press the button and the bin will be poured over the head of those you will not choose . No trick this time Jim, choose who to save and who doesn’t bring with you in the adventure » Tetch concluded, grinning.

All moved their looks toward the two grey bins that hung above the heads of the victims. They didn't have a reassuring aspect and they were enough capacious; if the bin was emptied above one of their head,s they would be deceased without any possibility.

« Well, I will die for having been involved by you two, excellent!! » Oswald shouted « Mr. Tetch, I understand the necessity for revenge, I understand the eye for an eye but this doesn't have indeed sense, Gordon does not care about us. Killing us will be just one problem less for GCPD »

« Do you not try to convince our dear Jim? » Jarvis answered.

« We won’t play to your game, Tetch »  Nygma said « We will not fight to win the hope of living »

Gordon was the only one who still had not opened his mouth. He could not understand if there was a trick, something that could turn the situation in their favor. It made no sense to put him in front of such a situation, Oswald was right. What would Jarvis get from killing one of them?

« So, Jim? Time flows quickly. Your rival in love or your best enemy? »

Both Edward and Oswald moved nervously in the chair, this wasn’t exactly the way they expected they would die. They had risked their lives so many times and they had always come out of it in some way. Oswald could not help thinking of that time on the dock, how Jim had spared him and Oswald wondered if he had ever regretted it. Probably soon he would have the answer. He looked first at Ed and then at Gordon, with an expression that betrayed the fear of leaving the scene under the screams of pain.

Jarvis began the count with the two radio controls in his hands, ready to press the button and to turn the acid on the head of one of the two unfortunates " Three, two ..."

« Save Oswald! » Jim shouted.

Everything happened in a few seconds: Oswald's eyes widened and he found himself shouting « No! ». He turned to Edward, who instead had closed his eyes as he had heard the name of the other. The bin tipped over Nygma's head but there weren’t desperate screams and at the end of those seconds that seemed to last forever, Edward looked at the dress completely soaked and breathed a sigh of relief.

« Was it water? »

Tetch  laughed  « Interesting decision, Jim . See you soon » and closed the video link, while the two mysterious men released Gordon from the ropes .

The Captain jumped up and easily knocked out the two Tetch’s minions, and he raced to free his comrades of misfortune with the same knife that the rabbit and the hare had used to cut his ropes.

Oswald still had his breath stuck in his throat, overwhelmed by multiple emotions: first of all to be chosen by Jim and then for fear of seeing Edward melt into acid. While Gordon was cutting the ropes that held Oswald imprisoned, Cobblepot could not formulate a coherent sentence to thank him. He gasped several times and only for a moment the two men's eyes met. Jim's expression seems like "I owed you that" and simultaneously "does that I will not regret it".

When the last rope was cut too, he handed the knife to Oswald to do the same with Ed.

« He must be nearby. The radio remote would not have worked otherwise » Gordon said, approaching the window and looking out « One of these buildings »

Edward just got up on impulse and turned to Jim, who undeterred was meditating how to close the game without the risk of killing everyone «  Would you have done? Are you still offended because I tried to kill you ? »

Jim was not listening. He was sure that Jervis wanted to hurt him again, perhaps to do him assist impotent to the death of Lee. But then, why involve Nygma from the beginning? It was obvious that Tetch was improvising, Oswald had been an idea of Gordon. Maybe Tetch expected him to involve Harvey? He certainly didn’t want Ed's death, otherwise he would not have filled the bin with harmless water. Jim had chosen to save Oswald, it had not been a reasoned choice, he had just reacted, with the risk that Jervis would cheat like he had in the past.

« Gordon, could you listen to me? » Ed repeated without success.

« He is in his thoughtful moment. Jim Gordon, dark and handsome » Oswald said ironically, finally making sure that the sense of wet in his head was actually blood.

« Are you okay?  » Edward asked, noticing only then that his friend had a cut on his head. Not particularly deep but still noteworthy.

« I'll be better when we will eliminate Tetch » he replied, earning a smile from Edward. He could not see him because he was still on his back , but even a little smile escaped Gordon. « Let's go get him! »

 

 


	5. Showdown

« Are you having fun? » Lee Thompkins asked his kidnapper. The woman stirred once more in the chair, hoping to be able to loosen the ropes that had kept her tied for hours, but there seemed to be no chance.

Once again she had remained in the midst of a madman's plots that only wanted to hurt Jim Gordon. He knew it was not Jim's fault, that in the end his role constantly attracted dangers to him and those around him, but that's why she decided to live secluded, away from the GCPD, just helping the inhabitants of Narrows without stepping on the toes of someone.

Jervis smiled cheerfully at his victim « It was just a game, a way to help you actually choose »

Lee looked at him puzzled, could not understand how that choice of Gordon, who had settled in a bucket of water, could help her to make a decision « I don’t understand »

« Jim Gordon, your knight in armor, instead of eliminating the crime boss decided to eliminate his rival in love. Don’t you find it petty? »

« You don’t know anything about Jim Gordon » she said « It was obvious that Jim would choose Oswald; he will be able to say a lot of things against Penguin but he will always need him, complement each other, that's what Gotham needs and deep down he knows. If you're trying to show me the dark side of Jim, I've already seen it »

The man bent down to be closer to the doctor and whispered in her ear.

« Lee, I'm not going to hypnotize you. Jim would understand that and it would not be real, but when Gordon and Nygma will be here, you'll have to choose who to save between them and you'll have to choose Ed, if you do not want to kill them both. I want Gordon to die knowing that the woman he loves does not return his love »

« Like you and Alice? » she replied scornfully, knowing she was touching a nerve.

« I'm warning you, doc. If you say something to Jim, if you let him know you're forced, you all die. Is it clear to you? And by "all" I also mean the inhabitants of Narrows »

***** * ****

Ed leaned out of the large windows of the building where they had been bound and threatened. « Do you see that building? It is high enough to have a good view. From there it should be possible to see where we had parked, perhaps even the shop where you entered. It is sufficient distance for the radio controls » He said enthusiastically, certain that he had identified the place where Lee was imprisoned.

Jim nodded beside him: reasoning was sound:, now they were close to get this thing done, one way or another.

Oswald was the only one who wasn't too keen, « Ok, can we just stop and think about this for a minute? He will have expectation your break-in, could we not call someone, surrounding the building? »

« He will kill Lee » Ed said cold.

« So, it’s better to die all of us » Oswald spread his arms, starting to think he was dealing with two idiots.

Jim shook his head, getting closer to Oswald, in an improbable attempt to reassure him « He wants me, I don’t know why he put Ed in the middle, but no one else will die »

Oswald was about to argue that they were talking about a madman who did not think straight or maybe point out that he was not ready to see him die, especially to save Lee, but he understood that it would be useless, now they had decided to end the game directly in front of Tetch .

They walked down the stairs and Oswald decided to take advantage of his lame walk to stay behind, just long enough to send a text message to Harvey. Maybe the GCPD would not have arrived in time, but he was quite sure that Bullock would do anything for Jim, even if he would be due to arrive in helicopter.

When they were in front of the main door, Jim pulled out his pistol for any surprises that might await them. Ed opened the door to let the others in, but Oswald made no sign of moving from the sidewalk.

« I'm not going with you »

« Are you leaving us now? » Ed asked, almost disappointed.

« No, I'm looking for a smart way to surprise Tetch, if there is. I won't make me shoot to save Lee » he replied, looking around.

« I don’t think you're safe, out here » Jim said « But do as you wish » The Captain of the GCPD disappeared in the darkness of the entrance to the building and Nygma followed him in silence, before exchanging a last glance with Oswald.

Edward  knew Oswald was right, it wasn’t a smart plan to do exactly what Tetch expected. Once he told Oswald that love was not good for people like them, that it always would have been their most crippling weakness and he was going to have a second proof how true it was.

« Don’t worry, that's who he is. He thinks first to survive » Jim said, as he drove Ed toward the stairs, increasingly convinced that the two friends had several things to clarify, instead yelling at each other.

« He does not always think to survive, you know? It would be unexpectedly dead for me ... »

Jim had to recognize this: Oswald was a manipulator, sometimes fearful, other daring, but more times than he wanted to admit he had put someone else's interests in front of himself. He preferred him when he helped, when they worked together, when his Napoleon syndrome did not take over. After all, Oswald had become a fixed point for him and Gotham for years and he had to admit that he preferred to see him in lead that other lunatics like Jeremiah or Barbara.

When at last they were in peaks at the stairs, they came out into the room where Tetch had watched them all the time. Jim and Ed came in and were amazed by the fact that there were no other men hypnotized to work for Jervis, it was just about them, about the showdown.

« Here we are, finally. Only you two! » Jervis said, with a fake, sadistic smile while he was pointing the gun at Lee's head.

« Do you not have kept checking us? » Edward replied, icy, looking around for something or especially someone who could surprise them.

« Of course I do, but I don’t need Oswald so I hope you won't feel his lack » he replied, still with a cruel smile and for a moment Jim regretted not having convinced Oswald to go with them.

« Tetch, what do you want? »  Gordon yelled, now more furious than ever as he watched the bloody hand of Lee, where the finger had been amputee.

« I give you a chance to survive, Jim. If Lee still loves you, she will choose you, condemning Ed. Otherwise, we finally will put an end to your worthless life » Tetch said.

Gordon absorbed the news stoically; He had guess it would be like this and he was also certain that it wasn’t about only their lives, surely Lee had already been threatened. Tetch did not play fair, he wanted revenge and that was putting in place, for the umpteenth time.

« It’s all right, Lee. It doesn't matter how you choose. » Jim whispered.

Ed noticed a glow outside the window, by now the sun had fallen and it was easier to notice details like blue lights in the distance. The GCPD was coming, Oswald must have warned them, and Tetch was too caught up in revenge, to give importance to what was happening around them. He would not have killed Lee now that he could take revenge on Gordon. Even the doctor seemed to notice something from Ed's eyes and she managed to understand that taking time could be a useful strategy.

« Jim ... I loved you so much and I really would it have been different » Lee began to speak but keeping her voice firm and clear was becoming particularly difficult « But you’ve belonged to Gotham forever, I could not have you »

« I loved you too, but it was not our fate. No relationship ends up well for me and most Gotham's people » Gordon replied. It was true, for everyone present. They fell in love, they had lost and got up, beat up but still alive to fight for them and for their personal vision of Gotham.

« You should have looked for someone like you, Jim. Someone who has your same priorities » the woman continued, and Jim found himself nodding in spite of himself.

« Lee, I need you to tell him » Jervis shouted.

Lee felt his heart beating wildly, after all that that was between her and Jim, she could not think that this would be his end. But there were the inhabitants of Narrows, victims unaware of the madness of a man who had not yet tasted his revenge.

Lee Thompkins closed his eyes resigned and she uttered the only words she never wanted to say « Kill Jim Gordon »

Finally the gun was no longer aimed at Lee and at the same instant Jervis fired the shot, another bullet from the back of the room centered Tetch's arm and the man fell to the ground. The bullet from Jervis never reached Gordon because Ed had thrown him to the ground as soon as Tetch had pressed his finger on the trigger.

GCPD agents raided, led by Bullock who still holding the smoking gun that had hit their tormentor.

« Oh, finally he shut up» Harvey commented, while the men surrounded Tetch « Jim, for God's sake. Call me next time! Why did I have to respond to a text message from Penguin? »

« Has Oswald been warning you? » Said Gordon, getting back on his feet and rubbing his side where he had slammed when Ed had plated him to the ground.

« Yes, he waited for us out here »

Ed was promptly rushing to free Lee that was more stupefied than ever that the police had arrived in time, without the need to take revenge on their own.

It was a strange situation, everyone wanted to talk and at the same time they wanted to be quiet, embarrassed, as if after all the past they had reached the point of having nothing more to say to each other.

Ed in those few hours had understood that perhaps it was time to leave Lee behind him. Oswald was right, he was becoming a very bad, pale copy of himself, not the great Riddler terror of the city. She did not love him, she had never loved him and even for a moment she had looked in his direction; his eyes and his heart were all for Jim Gordon.

Anyway, returning to Narrows, making his way by shooting, being involved in a game of slaughter, reminded him who he was and who he could return to.

After freeing Lee and reassuring her that his finger was in Gordon's freezer, ready to be hung up, Nygma left the scene, letting the agents do the job and maybe avoiding the arrest for one of the many crimes that had passed.

He went down the stairs slowly, one step at a time, not quite sure that the man who had been ring at Gordon's bell that morning was the same man who was coming downstairs to leave Narrows. Lee was behind him? Maybe.

He felt more Ed than the Riddler at that moment, a bit in pieces and without a purpose. He just had to let that day end and then he could start over.

He went out in the fresh air, breathing in the crisp air of the evening and only then he noticed Oswald, sitting on a sidewalk intent on rubbing his ankle. After so many hours standing it must have been torture. He sat next to him, unsure what to say. They stood for a while in silence, in the surreal situation of being sitting on the ground in the middle of police cars.

« Oswald, thank you for staying until the end » Ed said. But Cobblepot did not seem to be listening, he kept rubbing his ankle fixing an unspecified point in front of him, until he turned to Nygma, indecided whether or not to speak.

« I heard you were well from the agents' radio »

« Yes, thanks to you »

Oswald nodded absently once again. After all this time he needed to clarify at least one point. « What you said before, that you do not believe I was in love with you…»

« Os ...»

« I was, maybe I still am... » He paused and Ed was in doubt whether to do a comforting gesture or not, so his arm remained in the air and, in spite of everything, Oswald laughed seeing him so awkward.

« But you also know that among us it could not work, we would end up killing each other » Ed tried, lowering his arm.

« I know»

Some officers had begun to leave the building and the ambulance was ready to transport Lee to the hospital. Oswald got back on his feet, his limousine was coming and his driver would soon take him home, he had no intention of staying to attend the meeting between Ed, Jim and Lee or worse, to see that the doctor, who had had the privilege to have both for herself, would have rejected them in the wrong way.

As Oswald struggled to get back on his feet, Edward tried to help but was abruptly pushed aside.

« I never told you, but I might as well tell you now » Ed said and Oswald turned to him.  « I'm sorry to have shot you, it's one of the choices I regret most. Indeed, perhaps it is the only one I regret »

Oswald turned slightly, because he knew that the end of the sentence would come soon, which did not foresee a happy ending.

« What we are, it's complicated. We will always need each other but it would not work if we were together. It's time for me to follow my own path » Ed continued, perhaps tried to convince himself more than Oswald.

« I wish things had been different but in the end, we are what we are, right? » Oswald said, limping toward the limousine. From inside the car he saw Ed waving him with his hand and he commented to himself "Next time, Riddler" before finally abandoning Narrows.

The agents were happy, having saved the Captain was a source of pride. Jim came out shouting that the next day he would offer everyone a drink but that for the moment he needed a break. Ed was still on the sidewalk, staring down at his feet.

« Where is Oswald? I wanted to thank him »

« He went home»

Jim nodded a little disappointed as he savored the cool evening air as well.

« But he would really like it if you thanked him » Ed added seriously, because after all, if it was no more time for him and Oswald, maybe he could at least put the old relations back on the path.

****** * *****

Oswald Cobblepot was sitting in his own home again, but he had left the living room table chair for the most comfortable couch. He had stretched out on the leg-rest and was about to throw his head back and fall asleep when one of his men came announcing the arrival of an unexpected guest. It was a strange feeling of déjà-vu of what had happened in the morning.

« Jim? » Oswald asks, perplexed, as he made the gesture to sit more composed, immediately blocked by a gesture of Jim's hand.

« Could I sit down? » He asked with mock manners, before settling down, without waiting for the answer.

« You help yourself, anything you want »  he answered with an ironic grimace.

Gordon seem he didn’t intent to say something, and Oswald frowned, not really understanding what Jim Gordon was doing at his home at that time of evening. « Do not tell me that Lee chose Ed! That woman is really crazy » he said, studying Jim's reaction; Gordon turned the face and looked at him before he burst out laughing.

« Nah, no choice like Dawson's Creek style. We clarified, we are sure that if things had been different, we would still be together and probably will remain forever soulmates but it is not our fate that things work » he replied, leaning his head on the sofa, leaving a confused Oswald to fix it. No, really it was not time for him and Lee, too many bad things had happened and life gave them more than they could bear.

« Why are you here? »

Jim yawned dramatically and Oswald did not hold back an annoyed expression, calm was definitely not among his virtues.

« I wanted to thank you and apologize for manipulating you » he replied.

« You're not really sorry, aren’t you?»

«  It's true, I'm not. We would not be alive if I had not dragged you into the battle » he said, tapping him on the shoulder that Oswald stared for the next thirty seconds, as if he never had a contact like that.

Jim yawned again and Oswald bit his lip before exclaiming an ironic « Tired? »

« It was a very long day»

« Like every day in Gotham » Oswald answered, terse. He had been manipulated, put aside, had escaped unharmed by a tumult, a mortal play and had eventually through, perhaps, with Ed and now he had Jim Gordon on his couch. In fact it was not a typical day.

Jim got up from the couch and Oswald's gaze followed his walk to the bar cabinet where he recovered a bottle of brandy that he poured out generously in two glasses. Oswald had not remembered how long he had not toasted with Jim Gordon, perhaps the last time he had been in his club, when his mother was still alive and Fish wandered about revenge for the city.

« Hey, what happened with Nygma? » Jim asked all of a sudden, as he sat down again, holding out his glass, and Oswald thought Jim showed a slight bit of jealousy, like him earlier, when he was asked for Lee.

« Nothing » he shrugged. « As for you and Lee: he's my match. I miss him but it's all water under the bridge now, more or less » it was the turn of Jim to study the expression of Oswald « And when I talk about water I mean in every sense » he added with fake irony, thinking back to the pier where everything was over, more times.

« You should find someone who does not try to kill you » he said, taking another sip of brandy.

« As you should find someone who does not try to change you but accept all your shadows » he replied, with a melancholy streak. How many times had he thought about this situation? He and Jim sat, chatting as if it were a normal everyday thing, as if Gordon did not contact him only when he needed to, but because he had finally realized that it was collaborating that they would make the city better. The fact that he had always had an admiration for the good Jim Gordon, which other people could have called "crush", was another matter. « In Gotham will be difficult anyway » he added. « No relationship ends well in our city » he was unexpectedly repeating exactly what Gordon had said in his face to face with Tetch.

« I've never done it » Jim whispered.

« What? »

« I've never tried to kill you »

Oswald opened his mouth several times before saying anything sensible « Are you sure you feel ok? Did you take a blow on the head too? »

He burst out laughing « Honestly, right now I just want to rest »

Oswald nodded in perplexity. « Are you going to sleep here on my couch? »

« Is it a problem? »

« No, it's not » he hastened to reply. « Well, I've got a lot of rooms but if you want to sleep right here ...»  he realized his last statement might seem uneducated, but really he just wanted to be kind. Jim probably had not even heard it or pretended not to hear it because he closed his eyes and rested his head on his shoulder. He was not quite sure what would happen in the days to come, but he knew he needed a break from Gotham and maybe he could find it with Oswald. He would have had time to come to terms with everything that had happened but for the moment he preferred to fall asleep and start again as late as possible to worry about Gotham.

« Ok » Oswald said, before closing his eyes. Soon he would have to interface with the usual problems, the usual fights, but he could not help but smile as a tuft of blond hair tickled his chin. He had no idea what would happen in the morning, if they shared a pancake or if Jim would return the usual Jim, but at that moment he just wanted to taste the unexpected ending of a strange day.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize if English is not perfect but I'm not a native speaker. I thank my friend Sara for helping me in the translation :) In any case, if there is something wrong, let me know.  
> Thank you for coming here!


End file.
